different between dowser vs dower

English

Etymology

dowse +? -er

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?dæ?z?/
• Rhymes: -a?z?(r)

Noun

dowser (plural dowsers)

1. A divining rod used in searching for water, ore, etc.; a dowsing rod.

   Synonyms: divining rod, dowsing rod

   Coordinate term: doodlebug

2. One who uses the dowser or divining rod. A diviner.

   Synonyms: rhabdomantist, rhabdomancer, radiesthesist

   • 1996, Richard Webster, Dowsing for Beginners: The Art of Discovering Water, Treasure, Gold, Oil, Artifacts, Llewellyn Worldwide (?ISBN)

     Interestingly enough, John Mullins, the celebrated English dowser, was able to do this experiment using a forked twig, rather than a pendulum. He claimed to be able to locate nothing but water with his dowsing rod.

   • 2002, Michael Shermer, The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, ABC-CLIO (?ISBN), page 93:

     The instrument a dowser uses is called a dowsing rod, dowsing stick, doodlebug (when used to locate oil), or divining rod. Almost any item can be used for this purpose: a birch twig, a whalebone, and even a hanger.

Translations

See also

• rhabdomancy

Further reading

• dowsing on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• dowser in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• Dowers, Sowder, dowers, drowse, sworde, wordes, worsed

English

Etymology

From Middle English dower, dowere, from Old French doeire, from Medieval Latin d?t?rium, from Latin d?s.

Pronunciation

• enPR: dau?-?r, IPA^(key): /?da?.??/
• (UK) IPA^(key): [?da?.?(?)]
• (US) IPA^(key): [?da?.?]
• Rhymes: -a?.?(?)
• Homophone: dour (for some speakers)

Noun

dower (plural dowers)

1. (law) The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
2. (law) Property given by a groom directly to his bride at or before their wedding in order to legitimize the marriage; dowry.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 3 scene 1

     […] how features are abroad, / I am skill-less of; but, by my modesty,— / The jewel in my dower,—I would not wish / Any companion in the world but you […]
3. (obsolete) That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift.
   • c. 1600, John Davies, The Dignity of Man

     How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower!

   • 1793, William Wordsworth, Descriptive Sketches

     Man in his primeval dower arrayed.

Antonyms

• curtesy

Related terms

Translations

See also

• bride price
• dower on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

dower (third-person singular simple present dowers, present participle dowering, simple past and past participle dowered)

1. To give a dower or dowry.
2. To endow.

Anagrams

• e-word, rowed, worde

Middle English

Alternative forms

• dowere, douweer, dowaire, dowaire, dowayr, douere

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French doeire, from Medieval Latin d?t?rium; equivalent to dowen +? -er. Doublet of dowarye.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /du????r(?)/, /?du??r(?)/

Noun

dower (plural dowers)

1. A dower; a life estate of a male spouse's property.
2. (rare) A gift given by the bride's family to the groom or his relatives; dowry.
3. (rare, figuratively) A intrinsic or inherent property or attribute.
4. (rare, astrology) A portion of the world under the domination of a particular star sign.

Descendants

• English: dower
• Scots: dower

References

• “d?u??r(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-12.